Politics

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Hongkong Post seeking more information from US about changes to ban
Politics

Hongkong Post seeking more information from US about changes to ban

Hongkong Post is seeking clarifications from its US counterpart over Washington’s latest decision to pause tariffs on small-value packages, as the city has not received any notification about the way forward but was handling more than 1,000 parcels bound for the country.US President Donald Trump on Friday paused tariffs on packages worth less than US$800 arriving from China, temporarily allowing small parcels to enter the country under a duty-free exemption.Under the revision to his executive order, the tariff-free arrangement would remain in place until ā€œadequate systems are in place to fully and expediently process and collect tariff revenueā€.In a reply to the Post, Hongkong Post said on Sunday it was seeking clarification from the US postal administration as it has not yet been notified...
Opinion | For a good Hong Kong story, why not start with Greater Bay Area?
Politics

Opinion | For a good Hong Kong story, why not start with Greater Bay Area?

With Hong Kong’s annual budget in the works, we have been reminded of the many serious challenges facing the city. Our deficit is more than double the original forecast and the city’s gross domestic product last year was 2.5 per cent, a lower rate of growth than a forecast just months ago.Whether the worst is behind us is something we may not all agree on, even though Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu proudly made that declaration in 2022. However, we can all likely agree that we must improve our storytelling skills. Despite being tasked with telling the world good Hong Kong stories, we seem unable to find the plot. Telling the ā€œgood stories of Hong Kongā€ seems to have just become another buzz phrase, along with being a ā€œhubā€ for almost everything.Last month, the Post learned that one of th...
Hongkong Post to start accepting US-bound parcels again on Tuesday
Politics

Hongkong Post to start accepting US-bound parcels again on Tuesday

Hongkong Post has said it will begin accepting US-bound parcels again from Tuesday as authorities in the United States have confirmed they will not impose a tariff on such items.US President Donald Trump on Friday paused imposing a tariff on packages worth less than US$800 arriving from China, temporarily allowing small parcels to enter the country under a duty-free exemption.Under a revision to an earlier executive order signed by Trump, the tariff-free arrangement will remain until ā€œadequate systems are in place to fully and expediently process and collect tariff revenueā€.The United States Postal Service stopped accepting all inbound packages from mainland China and Hong Kong last Wednesday, after Trump signed an executive order imposing an additional 10 per cent tariff on all Chinese go...
Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong meets 8 top officials to hear economic plans
Politics

Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong meets 8 top officials to hear economic plans

Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs has met the finance chief and seven other senior officials to hear their plans on the economy and financial services while inspecting two special cooperation zones operated by the city and neighbouring Shenzhen.The government said on Monday that Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), had hosted a discussion session in Qianhai the previous day in which Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po had introduced the administration’s work and focus this year to advance the economy.ā€œThe session lasted for nearly four hours, with in-depth discussions about how Hong Kong could further understand, respond to and embrace changes under the new circumstances, accelerate reforms to foster progress, enhance cooperation between Guangdong...
Xia trip shows ā€˜Beijing concerned over Hong Kong’s power to finance projects’
Politics

Xia trip shows ā€˜Beijing concerned over Hong Kong’s power to finance projects’

Beijing is concerned that Hong Kong may need help from mainland Chinese companies in developing large cross-border projects amid a public deficit, analysts have said, after its point man on city affairs met local officials ahead of the annual budget address.Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), on Sunday heard plans on the economy and financial services from finance chief Paul Chan Mo-po and seven other senior officials while inspecting two special cooperation zones operated by the city and neighbouring Shenzhen.His visit came two weeks ahead of Chan unveiling his annual budget blueprint on February 26, with a deficit of nearly HK$100 billion (US$12.8 billion) for the current financial year forecast.Lau Siu-kai, a consultant at the semi-official Chinese A...
Renovating new office of former Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to cost HK.8 million
Politics

Renovating new office of former Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to cost HK$2.8 million

Authorities are expected to spend about HK$2.8 million (US$359,350) on renovating the new office of former Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who will move from a prime commercial tower to a government building.The Office of Former Chief Executives last month confirmed that Lam’s workplace at One Pacific Place in Admiralty, where the annual rent of HK$5.67 million had sparked concerns about how taxpayers’ money was spent, would be relocated to the 23rd floor of Immigration Tower in Wan Chai when the three-year lease expired in May.In response to an inquiry by lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun on Wednesday, No 2 official Eric Chan Kwok-ki said renovation work on Lam’s new office had started and would cost an estimated HK$2.8 million.He added the government previously spent about HK$6....
Hong Kong polling body halts self-funded research amid national security probe
Politics

Hong Kong polling body halts self-funded research amid national security probe

A prominent Hong Kong polling institute has suspended all self-funded research activities indefinitely in a ā€œtransformationā€ that may see it close down completely.The Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (Pori) made the announcement on Thursday, just weeks after president and CEO Robert Chung Ting-yu was questioned by national security police as part of an investigation into whether he or his organisation had aided an absconder.ā€œ[Pori] will suspend all its self-funded research activities indefinitely,ā€ the institute said.It added that the suspension, effective from Thursday, also covered regular tracking surveys the institute had conducted since 1992, and all of its recently introduced feature studies.Efforts would be focused on preparing and executing existing commissioned studies,...
Hong Kong’s leader stresses need to act on message from Beijing’s Xia Baolong
Politics

Hong Kong’s leader stresses need to act on message from Beijing’s Xia Baolong

Hong Kong’s leader has tasked his senior officials with following up on directions given by Beijing’s point man on city affairs, urging his ministers during a meeting to further cross-border cooperation through large-scale development projects.Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu held the meeting on Thursday morning, two days after he returned from the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, emphasising efforts must be stepped up on the development of the Northern Metropolis and Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone.Lee was out of the city when Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, met ministers as he made a three-day fact-finding trip to Shenzhen starting on Saturday.ā€œWe need to streamline procedures to better integrate the efforts of the...
How should Hong Kong regulate Uber and other ride-hailing apps amid taxi fury?
Politics

How should Hong Kong regulate Uber and other ride-hailing apps amid taxi fury?

Hong Kong’s ride-hailing firms are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel after more than a decade of operating mostly illegally and locking horns with the taxi industry.Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan is intent on legalising ride-hailing and opening the sector to all players.A framework for regulating the platforms is expected to go before lawmakers this year and, going by the experience of other jurisdictions, Hong Kong is unlikely to limit the number of ride-hailing operators.Experts told the Post that the new regulations, aside from covering the safety and security of users, should ensure a level playing field for taxis and ride-hailing platforms, and safeguard cabbies’ livelihoods too.But the taxi sector’s opposition to the platforms was on display again this week, a...
Mainland firms urged to help with Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis plan
Politics

Mainland firms urged to help with Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis plan

Beijing’s top man in Hong Kong has urged mainland Chinese enterprises to continue to increase their investments in the city and actively participate in the Northern Metropolis megaproject, saying they should shoulder more responsibility with greater contributions to public welfare and innovative reforms.Zheng Yanxiong, director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, made the call on Friday evening as he noted that 2025 marked the closing year of the national 14th five-year plan.It was a ā€œpivotal yearā€ for the city to accelerate its transition from governance to prosperity, he said in a speech at the Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association’s spring reception, which was attended by more than 1,000 guests.ā€œI hope that Chinese-funded enterprises will leverage Hong Kong’s un...